On the eve of the 110th anniversary of the founding of Shandong University, the 10th Top High School Headmaster Forum commenced in the central campus of Shandong University on October 14, 2011. Xu Xianming, president of Shandong University, Peng Shige, an academician of Chinese Academy of Science and dean of Mount Tai Academy, Gou Renmin, director for investigation and research Office of College and University Admission of Department of Students’ Affairs of Ministry of Education, and Song Chengxiang, deputy director of Department of Education of Shandong Province, attended the opening ceremony together with high school headmasters from over 140 key high schools throughout 27 provinces and areas, among whom Wang Yuzhang, vice headmaster of High School Attached to Shandong Normal University, was invited as an attendant. At the ceremony was publicized the list of top 30 source high schools of quality students of Shandong University, in which High School Attached to Shandong Normal University entered and 5 graduates of the year 2011 were recruited into Mount Tai Academy after a process of strict selection.

Acknowledged as a source high school of quality students of Shandong University, High School Attached to Shandong Normal University effectively demonstrated its great successes in education under its guiding principle of putting students first and achieving their comprehensive development. According to statistics, a large number of quality graduates from High School Attached to Shandong Normal University are annually admitted into Shandong University, with some of them selected into Mount Tai Academy after levels of strict selection. Among the graduates of 2011, five have been recruited into Mount Tai Academy.

As Xu Xianming, president of Shandong University, stated in his address, Shandong University functions as a university from which China’s modern advanced education originated, making its particular contributions to the formation of China’s advanced education system. Nowadays Shandong University has developed to be a university of all sciences in its true sense, with the most comprehensive setup of subjects of all 13 classes and the integrated system of cultivating talents. In displaying its traditional strengths in liberal arts, Shandong University is shedding its essential influence on natural sciences. With 8 subjects ranking among 1% of all universities throughout the world in academic influence and contributions, Shandong University has become a significant base of nurturing academicians of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and scholars of liberal arts and has been making unique explorations on answering the Question of Mr. Qian and the Enigma of Joseph Needham.

Mount Tai Academy was founded as a measure of Shandong University to comprehensively implement the trial plan of cultivating top-notch students of basic sciences. As one of the 17 high-level research-oriented universities designated by Ministry of Education to carry out the trial plan that began from 2009, Shandong University expects to nurture in Mount Tai Academy a large number of top-notch innovative talents and enable them to develop to be leading scholars in basic sciences and gradually ascend among top scientists throughout the world. The model of 8-year consecutive undergraduate, graduate and doctoral education is adopted in Mount Tai Academy to conduct to the recruits long-term nurture and elite education. Under the principle of combining universal with specialized knowledge, integrating social with natural sciences, focusing on both learning and research, strengthening innovation, and experiencing three kinds of education in Shandong University, another key university and abroad, individualized education program is made in view of students’ personality and elastic management is applied combing residential with collegiate system and study-abroad system with tutorial system. Small-class-based teaching is practiced, with research-oriented teaching and study-discussion teaching efficiently strengthened. We apply textbooks of the best quality worldwide and make programs to provide our undergraduates chances of experiencing study and research in world top universities. We will furnish with fertile soil, broad space and favorable opportunities those students with ambition to be devoted to basic science research and determined to ascend among world top scientists. As was reported, Mount Tai Academy recruited 79 outstanding freshmen selected from mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and computer science.

Written by Yang Ping

Translated by Feng Zhao

Revisedby Cong Peiying